hi guys, I just found this forum and i loved it, but i have a question if somebody can help me

i got a petition for my wife, i send it las october, i just received ds-230 and i mailed today. but I would like to know what is next, and when probably i am going to receive the interview por mi wife in colombia?

she is in colombia

Welcome to the club

Bro, whats going on? Please help us, help you. Give us some more info. Have you received the notice of aproval yet? I would like to know where you are at in the process, then we'll go from there on forward to get your wife here ASAP.

thank lucho562, my case was approved already, the last information that i received was the packet with ds-230 and i mailed already, i got married in colombia in december of 2005 but we coudn´t send the petition at tha moment because my icome wasn't enougth but now everything is going on, i assume that the packet that i received is #3 but i would like to know when probably i am going to received #4 and the interview for my wife, also somepeople told me that i have to sent the copy of my wife's passport and i didn´t because in the packet thta i received it didn't say so.

please i am very confused, my wife got copy of everything already, affidavits, photos of our marriage, photos together having fun, letters, notes e-mail.

do I need more?

When did you send Pkt 3? If it has been more then 2 weeks you most likley have an interveiw date already. You can call the NVC, they can tell you the staus of your visa application.
You can download a copy of Pkt 4 from the US Embassy site. It may be a good idea to do that now and start getting all the requirements togeather for Pkt 4. All you need from the Embassy is the Letter of invitation for teh interview.
Depending on where your wife lives it can take a while to get some of the docs. Sending a copy of your wifes passport with Pkt 3 is not required but very huch recommended. Too much info is better then too little.
You will be able to get any info you need from thre folks on this site. Welcome.

bUCK I JUST SEND THE PACKET 3 YESTERDAY, When should i call NVC to know about my interview?



i mailed it yesterday, what is next?

thank you for everything Buck?

llaureano1.................From where did you send it, how did you send it? If you sent it overnight from the US it may take 4 or five days for them to receive it. Paola sent hers from Buenaventura, it took 2 days to arrive. I would call the NVC towards the end of next week. If they do not have the date yet call back in a few days. They are very helpful and nice. You will need to go through the menu, it takes a while. At the end you will be allowed to speak to a live person. I lost the dang phone number for NVC. Maybe someone here has it. Below is a link to the embassy for Pkt 4.




http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/co1/wwwfck1cita_temp.pdf

When Paola was in Bogota to get her invitation letter she met a couple that did not have the DAS certificate, they were told to come back after getting it. For us that was the one that took the most time to get. You can get it in 3 days if you are in Bogota, other wise it is a pain. Things will move fast now. You should have a September appointment date if Pkt 3 is complete. You are way ahead of the cutoff date. Good luck!!!

llaureano1,

Hey. Where did you send the packet 3? To your wife or to the embassy in Colombia? Once I know this, I can point you the right way to get your interiew ASAP.

llaureno1...........Lucho helped me a bunch, you can rely on his info to be accurate. He also went the K3 route. There is some difference between the K1 and the K3. However you sent Pkt 3 I hope you can track it. If so, I would keep a close eye on it. Things can, and do get messed up in Colombia.



Meanwhile, I am off to Las Vegas for a biz trip Tuesday through Friday. Then back home for a bit and gone to Bogota on Wednesday. As nervous as I have been, I am strangley calm now. LOL. Paola and I are reviewing everything almost to the point being rediculas. (sp). Both Paola and I are very confident. I think that comes with being prepared. 12 more days!!!!

I'm the IAH right now on my way back to SFO after spending time with my novia. We've just sent Packet 3 and hopefully get the interview date in the next two weeks.

While down there we looked at rings and stuff related to getting married. I was trying to find out whether diamonds are cheaper in Colombia versus the US. Wow, was I wrong, they're a lot more expensive.

Anyway, IF I were to plan a church wedding AFTER the K1 visa has been issued, are there any complications to that? Getting married at the iglesia before we leave for the states has become a daily conversation topic now. What do you guys think?

That one would take some thought and research on your part. An K1 visa is to enter the US with the intent of getting married within 90 days. That is the first I have seen this. I am bringing Paola here, get married in a court house, return to Colombia after her AOS and have the big blowout wedding with her family and friends.

Buck, you may have bought Rosetta Stone. It gets high marks from what I've read, but is very expensive.

Lorena was very concerned about English for the boys and we tried for weeks to find classes in the Kansas City area. There are none for children. About three weeks ago we were at a Mexican restaurant we like and the manager came by to visit with us. I asked him about English help for the boys. He said they will learn fastest and best by total immersion (without the crutch of someone or something translating everything). For an adult it's different. Lorena is now enrolled in a FREE English as a Second Language class sponsored through a local community college.

One other thing to think about in this regard.... Last spring I changed my satellite TV package to include a full slate of Spanish language channels. I thought this would be a good thing. As it turns out, Lorena and the boys spend the whole day - since school hasn't started yet - watching everything in Spanish and only occasional cartoons in English. They are learning nothing! A Colombiana friend that Lorena has made here told her today that this was a BIG mistake and that she needs to start watching nothing but English language programs and movies. If your lady is smart like Lorena is, she'll learn quickly.

Somewhat to my shame for not really helping my new family, I have learned more Spanish in the past 6 weeks than they have learned English - all three put together!!

Charles

Parkpapa.........................I was going to get the Spanish channels for Paola, I thought it would be nice. MMMMMMM, maybe not now. We have agreed, I speak only spanish around her and she speaks only english around me. Wer are bringing here son up to the US after she gets her green card. I have no worries for him, put him in school and he will be speakling english in no time. I am going to enroll Paola in a english class and I am going to enroll her in my spanish class. Reverse english. Worth a try.
As for why I am waitng to bring her son up. You guys amaze me, bringing your wife and kids up at the same time. I want Paola to get used to the way of life here so she can help communicate that to her son. I live in a small town. 2 taxis......a bus system that might as well be non exsistant. No Colombians. This is not the same as Miami, New York or any other large city. Here? if you don't drive, you don't eat. I will, and can relocate if this becomes to much for her. A good friend of ours is getting married to a guy from Miami. If need be I will fly her to see her friend for company. We could go there togeather a couple times a year, or they can come here to Oregon. Man, life is changing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta look at the exchange rate for one, Chester. When I bought a diamond down there in February, it as 2100 COP to the $, and even without it the savings was about 15% cheaper than what I would have paid for on Jeweler's Row on Wabash here in Chicago since I priced some identically sized and cut rocks over there. Now, however, the exchange rate has pretty much made thinking about buying much of anything down there seem silly.

As for the Church wedding in Colombia all you need is time to get ready for it... and LOTS of it.

Mavi, when i was in Colombia last month, we went to a couple of reception halls, and they were beautiful!!! and to top it off ...very very economical....this was on the outskirts of bogota...i got a quote from one place that provided everything from video, pictures , classic convertible car, buses for the guests , full menu..wedding cake, reception hall for about 300+...and too much more to list..the price for me in dollars was about 7 to 8 thousand...and they said its negotiable if i didnt want a written receipt...guess they didnt want toreport the earned money...Colombianos vivos!!!!!!!!

Oh and for the ring... also shopped for diamonds there and the prices were great!!!!!! My fiance's father has a restaurant in a jewelry exchnge in the center of Bogota and they showed me some 1ct diamonds , clear , almost flawless and they were about 6 to 7 grand

I think we've all thought about the English issue, the TV issue, the classes issue.....I'll throw in my 2 cents, and always open to hearing other opinions...
First on classes...
The New york public library has free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that start every 8 weeks. There is such a strong interest that there is a lottery. We went to the lottery and didn't get drawn for one of the 40 open spots. I encourage everyone to check their local public library to see if they offer something similar. I signed her up for a 6 week class in the mornings at New York University. Not cheap, but I thought it was important for her to have something she goes to do everyday. Something to get up for, people who are waiting for her, something to work towards and be proud of. Psychologically, I felt it was important for her to have that. I work all day, and I work on wall street, so the hours aren't short. Knowing that she had a program she was part of and people other than me to share the experience with was well worth the cost.
Regarding the TV- We actually get the Digital Spanish TV through our cable....and even better, most people have spanish subtitles on many programs of normal TV. I didn't even know we got it, but we just changed a setting on the Cable box and they pop up when they're available. Spanish subtitles on English TV actually help learning because you're hearing and reading. Even if you don't have spanish subtitles, use the English hearing impaired subtitles, it helps a ton for their understanding and learning.

Ojosazules...not to change the topic on you..but wow!!!! i just noticed your timeline....you got through this fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

q vo a todo .. thnx so much for this post !!!!!!!! ...every second counts and every bit helps ... haven't felt mi nena's abrazos in almost a year ..just got our petition in under tha' wire before the change in fees .. if we can shave off even a couple of days all the better; maybe feliz navidad indeed ! .. peace and blessings to all on your journeys.. and remember: "Be bold and great forces will come to your aide" - Goethe .. chao

Whats up MPLS...welcome....im going to tell you what i was told by all the people on this thread that are now experts...If you want to learn ways to maybe make things go faster and also to be prepared go all the way back to about Oct or Nov posts on here and READ!!! I actually went all the way to page one and read it all...You will learn so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's because he went through the Vermont Service Center before May. Back in the day the VSC was cranking those approvals within 3-4 weeks, I even saw someone get approved in 2 weeks. Not the case anymore.

Ithought i was seeing things when i saw that!!!! This is just a little something to make the relationship stronger i guess..Its just that with her pregnant now, and this being my first child i wish i could be by her side!!!

This is true. I came to the States when I was still a child, started school in late September and by December I was already fluent with no accent. It has nothing to do with your surroundings but children are sponges when it comes to everything, not just learning a language. Adults block a lot of stuff and are pretty set in their ways, so it's harder.

As far as Spanish television goes, don't feel bad. It's good that she is watching English speaking channels every now and then, but it's not really realistic and she will eventually turn it off. Just because she's watching CBS or FOX for hours on end won't mean she'll be fluent. I'm also paying extra for the Spanish package (but it sucks 'cause it's Comcast, DirecTV is the way to go), and I would much rather have my husband watch TV in Spanish than be bored watching something in English he can't understand.

I think the best way to learn English, and I speak from experience, not just my own but my family's as well, is to have them in school full time in ESL classes. Their full time jobs should be to be in school for 6-8 hours a day and learn it like it's a new career. A few classes a week for a couple of hours won't help that much, trust me.

Diana

We lived in a small town like that when we first got here. It is called Ellenville and it's about a 2 hour drive north of NYC. It sucked. No, that's putting it mildly. It sucked a$$. We lived there for about 5 years and we now refer to them as the dark ages. It was hard man, very hard on us. But, in Colombia we had lived in Medellín, Bogotá, Cali and Palmira which were bigger cities than the one main street, one post office, one gas station, one elementary/middle/high school, one main store, no hospital, no movie theater, no grocery store small town we lived in.

Diana

Diamond wedding rings in Colombia are just as expensive as the ones I've seen here. The most affordable place I found here was BlueNile.com and the stuff we saw in Cali and Medellín was not even close to what we wanted (and by WE I mean I, ) and way too pricey.

And Chester... NO, NO, NO... do not get married in Colombia before your fiancée gets here. The whole point of the K1 visa is for the two people to be together faster and get married in US soil. Your other option is to have a "symbolic" ceremony with no legal validity. Ask around to see if a church wedding in Colombia is legal or not, in some places they are, but in others they're not.

Diana

I did the opposite I ordered HER cable with English channels back in Buga.

Where I live , San Franciso Bay Area, almost 30% speak Spanish. It worries me a little that she might not make the effort since someone is always around speaking Spanish.

Laureano,

Let me see if I can help you out. Did you file for a K3 visa (I-130 AND I-129F) or did you file for a CR1 visa (I-130 only)?

If it was the CR1 visa, I can help you out with the next step of the visa process. If it was a K3, it will be similar to the K1 visa and Lucho and the others can help you out more with that.

Let us know. I'll be checking in to see what more information you can give us.

También, si se siente más cómodo hablando en español... bien pueda que aquí estamos para ayudarle.

Diana

I also ordered the spanish channels on DirecTV. I did it as much for me as I did for my wife. I must admit I enjoyed laughing at the folks on "Laura" ( A Peruvian female version of "Jerry Springer"). My 3 year old stepdaughter is a sponge and is already spanglish. She can count to ten in english or spanish! Connecticut also has a large latino population. Also because of the Casinos, there is a very large influx of immigrants, Polish, Russian, Armenian and especially Chinese. ESL classes are easy to find and my wife will be starting later this month. Oh yeah, thanks Dan for the info on Telephono Rojo, I'm liking the service!

I also ordered the spanish channels on DirecTV. I did it as much for me as I did for my wife. I must admit I enjoyed laughing at the folks on "Laura" ( A Peruvian female version of "Jerry Springer"). My 3 year old stepdaughter is a sponge and is already spanglish. She can count to ten in english or spanish and Buck, she adjusted to life here...no problem! Mom was a different story. She arrived from Barranquilla to a cold and gray Connecticut. CT is just plain ugly in the winter! I could see tears forming in here eyes. Her second day here, there was a snow storm! I swear I thought I may have to get her return ticket to Colombia! She told me she would be strong and she quickly got over the culture shock. Now she likes it here. Her english has greatly improved and she has learned to drive. Connecticut also has a large latino population. Also because of the Casinos, there is a very large influx of immigrants, Polish, Russian, Armenian and especially Chinese. ESL classes are easy to find and my wife will be starting later this month. Oh yeah, thanks Dan for the info on Telephono Rojo, I'm liking the service!

Remember that any receipt of any sort of ring purchase is most definitely valuable for the Embassy as evidence.

Even if it means you saved up.

'BYRON-LEIDY' ... thnx for the 'brazos !! .. yup .. I've been plugging my way through every last word on this thread .. knowledge is power ... chevre ..paz, chao

Diana,

I have great news you. You are no long alone in the CR1 forum. It turns out that Laureano filed for CR1. He just told me that he sent out the DS230 last week, which should put him near your timeline.

See if you can help him out. I know next to nothing about CR1. I'll stick to K1, K3, something i'm familiar with.

I think I found the answer that I needed. Marriage at a church in Colombia is a legal binding marriage via the church and the government of Colombia. As I interpret that phrase, it invalidates the "approved" K1 if marriage happens prior to US entry.

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwscpreguntas...shtml#exclusion

that good to here your case was approved, my friend im preparing my affidavits for my wife in colombia to just want to make sure i have everything, could tell me what documents i need to for this affidavits ,good lucky to youuu laspence

If you're referring to the I-134 Affidavit of Support, then here is what you will need.

1. Letter from your bank indicating accounts that you have. The information must contained when it was opened, the current balance and the names it is associated with. For my case, Bank of America, the agent called it the "Immigration Leter". My letter contained my accounts, balances and had a statement saying this letter was requested because I was petitioning my fiancee over to the US.

2. Letter from your HR Rep at work (if employed) on a company letterhead, salary, job title, when you joined and if the position is permanent or temporary.

3. Copies of your W-2s or 1040s for the previous year. It is advisable to have more but not neccessary.

Hope this helps.

Question....If i submit 3 years of tax transcripts and w2 forms and a letter from my employer, is that enough...i just got a little worried because i make about 55k to 60k a year, varies with or without OT and bonuses...my problem is that after paying mortgage, car and all the regular bills, after taking all the trips to Colombia this year and sending my fiance money i blew a lot of my savings...around December i get like a 15k bonus and tax time i get a good refund and in March i get another bonus ...this one is only 3-5k....I live rent free and am really close to renting my property...my issue is that, the way things are moving, i might have an interview sometime before December and i will not have much savings in the bank...Is the bank letter a must , or are the tax transcripts and property values enough...Im a little worried now with this bank statement thing!!!!!!

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864P.pdf

The above link illustrates the minimum income requirements. Income as defined as wages, investments and other forms.

Byron, the letter from your employer and the tax transcripts are enough. Your income is above the guideline for 3 people. You only have to submit savings or other assets if you income is not enough. Its kind of funny, you must meet the minimum guidelines to be approved but the Affidavit of Support only covers the 90 days of the K-1 visa and has very little legal weight. The AOS Affidavit of Support is another story!

Thanks a lot Tony s and chester monica...i was getting a ittle frustrated!!! I guess with the AOS you have to show savings huh??

Byron, what Tony said is right on. Your income is more than 125% above the poverty line for 3 people. The affidavit of support are used for many different types of visa's. This is why some of the questions on there wont really make sense to you, or plain sound stupid. Like Tony said, your income is sufficient, so you do not have to worry about providing assests.

As for AOS,
You do not have to show savings. The affidavit's are pretty much the same. Only that in AOS you have to show that you can sponsor your beneficiary for a lot longer than 90 days.

Byron,
Any news on your NOA2???

Where's Buck?

Bucks here, sweating bullets again. LOL>LOL. I fade in and out of fear and confidence. 11 more days. I have gatherd all the evidence and arranged it in two small binders, I am taking other evidence in case that is not enough. We really do not have much from my first 4 visits cuz I had no idea you were supposed to save all that stuff. I was able to copy my bank and credit card statements that showed I spent money there. A few pics, no airline ticket stubs. My last two visits, one I flew Paola and her mom up to Panama City, Panama. The other I went to Cali and met the family. I have all that stuff. Paola and her mom's ticket stubs, hotel receipts and pics. From the Cali visit I have all the pics and hotel reservations, my ticket stubs and other stuff. I feel good about the last two visits, the first 4.................not much stuff.
On the other hand I can see no reason why they would deny the visa. I make plenty of money, self employed, sucessful biz. 6 visits to see each other, total time togeather in person about 40 days, 1.5 years of phone records. We seem to have a lot more then some folks on the VJ site.
We do have a considerable age difference, but that seems to be fairly common in Colombia. How does anyone ever really prove they love someone except for allowing time to prove it?
I am babbling now.

That's what I thought as soon as he started talking about the DS-230. We might even have the interview the same week.

I'll shoot him a PM to see what he's up to.

Thanks Lucho!
Diana

Lucho...thanks a lot....you just took a load off my mind!!!!!!! and as for the NOA2 ...nothing yet!!!

I just got a letter in the mail today from the US Embassy in Bogota informing me that they received our petition and have sent Packet 3 on July 25. I got this letter here in California. It's cool that they notify the petitioner about the status. It took only 2 days from receipt to get our case number into their system. It was physically signed, not stamped, with the "Chief of Immigrant Visa Branch"

Did you guys get something similar?

Packet 3 is nowhere in sight, but that's a moot point since we faxed ours on July 30. Waiting for the entrevista!!!!

Chester,

The shortcut indeed works The letter you received shows that they sent out packet 3 on the 25th and you faxed it in on the 30th. Not bad at all. You must have an interview date by now. Give NVC a call, they will know for sure.

"Bucks here, sweating bullets again. LOL>LOL. I fade in and out of fear and confidence"

Buck, take a deep breath...you are armed with the right information, the required evidence and most important of all the love you have for each other. I'm not going to say its not nerve racking once you're there, but I can tell you this from my experience, if the love is real, nothing will stand in the way. And of course, you have us all rooting for you and here to help in any way we can.

Cmon Buck..show me the confidence...your killing my confidence!! lol...just kiding. Buck, like DRE said, if the love is real which you have obviously shown everything will be fine!!!!

Por fin. I just got off the phone with Department of State (DOS) and a very nice lady took my call. Within 30 seconds I learned so much about our petition status, but more importantly we HAVE an INTERVIEW DATE! September 6.

I gave my case number, then she asked for the beneficiary's name. She asked whether if "I" wanted to know of there is was a interview scheduled and I said, yes. I was so happy to hear the date. Called my novia immediately and shared the buen noticias.

I was just down in Buga 3 days ago. It was my 6th time to be with her in Colombia. I will be back again for our interview and I hope that the 7th time I go to see her, I won't be coming back alone to the US.

Everyone here has helped us so much, a huge thanks!

Countdown to Sept 6 begins.....

Heck yeah!!! I'm so happy to wake up to hear this great news.

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Chester!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice!!! Congratulations!

Shoot, they're now scheduling the early September interviews and our case hasn't even been completed by the NVC. Augh... if we don't get it for late September then early October it is. Crap.